DIY vs. Professional Mosquito Control: Cost and Results

Start with the water and the screens.

The single most useful thing you can do yourself is get rid of standing water. Mosquitoes breed in small, still pockets of water, often within a few feet of the house. Extension services and the CDC put this first for a reason.

• Dump and scrub anything that holds water every week: planter saucers, buckets, toys, tarps, birdbaths and clogged gutters.
• Repair door and window screens if mosquitoes are getting inside. No yard treatment fixes an opening.
• Use an EPA-registered repellent on skin when you are outside, and a fan on the patio: mosquitoes are weak fliers.

Most store-bought products only do one job.

Repellents protect a person, larvicides treat water, and outdoor sprays target adult mosquitoes where they rest. A product aimed at one stage does not cover the others, so it is easy to buy something that never reaches the real problem.

Adult mosquitoes spend the day on the shaded undersides of leaves, in dense shrubs and along fence lines. Covering all of that evenly, at the right rate, and repeating it on schedule is hard with a hose-end sprayer. Always follow the label: never use an outdoor product indoors, mix products, or add more to make up for poor results.

Devices like bug zappers may catch the odd mosquito, but a full tray does not mean fewer bites.

Yes, when they treat the right places and stay on schedule.

A good service makes your yard far more usable by treating the places adult mosquitoes rest and dealing with water sources, on a regular schedule. Ours visits about every 21 days with Barrier+ (about every 14 days with plant-based Organic+), checks for standing water every visit, and includes free re-treatments between qualifying visits if mosquitoes come back.

No one can make an open yard completely mosquito-free: mosquitoes fly in from neighboring yards and woods. Be wary of any company that promises zero mosquitoes. What you should expect is a yard you can actually enjoy, and a provider who comes back when something changes.

Questions worth asking any company.

Whoever you hire, a good provider should answer these clearly before the first visit:

• Which parts of the property will you treat, and why there?
• What do you do about standing water?
• What product is used, and when can kids and pets go back outside?
• How often do you visit, and is there an annual contract?
• What happens if mosquitoes are still a problem between visits?

Compare the same season and the same work.

A bottle of spray looks cheaper than a service until you add up a whole season. Compare like with like:

• Supplies: the products and equipment you would actually buy, plus refills during the season.
• Your time: shopping, mixing, spraying, cleanup and keeping up the schedule.
• Follow-up: what you would buy or do next if it does not work.
• Professional plan: the per-visit charge, how many visits your season needs, and what is included when mosquitoes come back.

Per visit, no annual contract.

We quote based on your property and bill per visit. Barrier+ and Organic+ have the same per-visit charge; Organic+ visits are more frequent, so it costs more over a season. In2Care stations are quoted separately. Quotes are free, and your first visit is usually within one to two business days of booking.

Tell us when your yard changes.

Keep dumping water between visits and let us know about anything new: a planter that holds water, landscaping work, or a new spot where you sit. If mosquitoes are bothering you in a specific place, tell us where and when. Recurring customers get a return visit and re-treatment between scheduled treatments at no extra charge.